May 2013 Newsletter

LBDA Needs You — Host an LBD Flower Day in Your Community!

Be a host of LBDA and FTD’s first annual national LBD Flower Day. On October 6, 2013, volunteers across the country will celebrate October LBD Awareness Month by selling lavender roses to benefit LBDA. Be a part of the celebration and join us in raising funds for LBDA on LBD Flower Day by signing up before August 2, 2013.

According to LBDA Board of Directors President Mike Koehler, “With the incredible burden on families dealing with LBD in their lives, we feel that faith plays a great role in surviving the broad impact of LBD and that sharing information about the disease at our volunteer’s place of worship, before or after services would be a natural and comfortable environment to tell their story, raise LBD awareness and funds to support others dealing with this disease.”

For more information please contact Davida Morgan Washington, Director of Development at dwashington@lbda.org or 404.549.4247. (Please note: There is a non-tax deductible purchase price of $70 for each box of roses for the volunteer sellers.) Learn more and sign up today!

Sleep Disorder Increases Odds of DLB by Five Times More Than Alzheimer’s

REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is a condition that causes a person to physically act out their dreams and is a common in Lewy body dementias (LBD). New research indicates that the presence of RBD in a man with dementia is a strong indicator of dementia with Lewy bodies over Alzheimer’s disease. Read the full article.

Bruce Borror Cruises the Wabash River to Benefit the Lewy Body Dementia Association

This May, Bruce Borror is taking a 300-mile boat trip from Lafayette, Indiana down the Wabash River to the Ohio River to create awareness of Lewy body dementia (LBD) and raise funds for LBDA. Bruce is setting out on this adventure in honor of his father who has been diagnosed with LBD and currently lives in Indianapolis. Find out more about his trip on Bruce’s web site and donate to LBDA!

MCI with Visual Spatial or Attention Deficits Progresses to DLB over Alzheimer’s

A study by Tanis Ferman, PhD and colleagues at Mayo Clinic assessed the progression from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to different forms of dementia. This study was presented at the American Academy of Neurology meeting in March 2013. Read the full article.

Cost of Dementia Care Higher than Cancer

The monetary cost of dementia in the United States ranges from $157 billion to $215 billion annually, making the condition more costly to the nation than either heart disease or cancer, according to a new RAND Corporation study. The greatest cost is associated with providing institutional and home-based long term care, rather than medical services. Learn more.

In Caregiving, Anxiety Can Be Contagious

Health issues can change without warning, caregivers, as well as the people they care for, often live with higher than normal levels of anxiety — and that anxiety can be contagious. Read about how you can stop the anxiety cycle. SOURCE: AgingCare.com

Longevity May be Impacted by Orthostatic Hypotension in LBD

Research demonstrates that autonomic dysfunction predicts a shorter survival time in Parkinson’s disease and multiple system atrophy. Until recently, little was known about how autonomic dysfunction affects survival in Lewy body dementias. Read more on new research by Dr. Kajsa Stubendorff of Lund University in Sweden.